Observing unit



Feb. 20, 1951 H. L. HOFFMAN 2,542,675

OBSERVING UNIT Filed Jan. 30, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Al 30 I'm; F/6./. 2 2

":2 J '1 i O INVENTOR. HARRY LEE HOFFMAN FIG. 2. 28

A TTORIIEX Feb. 20, 1951 H. L. HOFFMAN OBSERVING UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 30, 1950 INVENTOR. HARRY LEE HOFFMAN.

M. ATTORNEY.

Patented F eb. 20, l951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OBSERVING UNIT Harry Lee Hoffman, Baltimore, Md.

Application January 30, 1950, Serial No. 141,277

. 1 6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to display and adver tising devices and more particularly to peephole erect protective boarding or fences around the area. The purpose of this boarding is'to protect persons travelling by it from scattering dust, stones and other objects arising from the building operations. Such debris is apt to cause serious injury and subject the contractor to damage suits and other legal consequences. There is no intended objection to the individual looking at the operations provided it does not interfere with the work of the contractor or his employees. In fact the owners of the progressing structure are usually in favor of the' passerby giving the project as many inspections as he would care to spend in the matter.

attention derived from a building operation of this nature and many appreciate the fact. They do not however, know how to make the most of the situation, and generally pass the matter up as being unsolvable. However, a number of Thereis a certain amount of advertising value to theyears ago, a certain contractor in a large city of the United States decided to do something in' the matter, and thought he had solved the problem by providing small peepholes in the boarding, for individuals to look through. There was considerable publicity given in the matter throughout the country and the results were deemed satisfactory by all concerned. However in this invention, a more elaborate arrangement has been devised. Its purpose is to provide a better view than is possible through the use of a peephole, which is usually less than 2 diameter. At the same time thenew arrange ment is safer. This is anticipated by the use of pass'ers-by.

actuated'by the observer himself while his eyesare concentrated in close proximity therewith.

Therefore an object of this invention is to provide a new and improved peephole unit thatwill avoid one or more of the disadvantages and-- limitations of the prior art. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide-- a new and improved peephole unit that can be mounted on a fence for facilitating its use by- Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved peephole unit that can be used for observation purposes and as an advertising implement.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an effective and attractive display and: observation unit that can be mounted on a suitable structure for facilitating its use by individuals and entertaining them with a view and; with other data that is made interesting to themx Other objectswill become apparent as the invention is more fully outlined. 1 Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a front view of a peephole unit em bodying this invention; with the front fence removed; Y Figure 2 is a rear view of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sketch indicating how the invention can be mounted on a fence or similar structure; t

Figure 4 is a side elevation in section of the device taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a detail of the supporting window member looking in the direction of 5-5 in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a detail in this invention and Figure '7 is a section on the line 1-1 of Figure 6. Similar reference characters relate to the sam parts throughout the drawings. i-

In the structure shown in the drawings, a rotary display observing unit comprises a disc N1" of suitable design suspended'by a central shaft II that is journalled in a collar-like bearing member 12 adapted for attachment to a fence, or 1 vertical wall [3 in any conventional manner. This disc has a series of frames l4 encompassing rectangular spaces 22 and 23 radially arranged in it and of a size suitable for the insertion of i cards l5 having display or advertising notes thereon. The spaces may be open or closed in and are preferably of rectangular contour and register consecutively every 120 of turning with I a peephole window It inserted in the fence I3. 1 One of the frames I4 is usually left open at 2| view of the lock employed without a card so the observer can look through the peephole IS without obstruction. This enables him to view any building project in progress behind the fence to which the unit is secured.

The periphery or peripheral rim 29 of the disc is notched at I! to serve as a ratchet mechanism in conjunction with a pawl l8 operably movable on a rack I9 extending rigidly from the bearing l2 so that the disc cannot be rotated counterclockwise, but may be rotated clockwise. This rack l9 also supports pins 24 that project therefrom in such alignment as to enable a slide bolt 25 to engage with them. The bolt in its engaged position on the pins 24 holds the disc against rotation.

A handle or knob 20 of the type indicated is attached and keyed to the shaft II and serves the user on the side of the wall [3 opposite to the placement of the disc, so that he may actuate the disc. The screws 3| hold the slide bolt structure 25 to the disc. The pawl i8 is held against the peripheral rim 29 by a flat spring 26 mounted on the arm IS in rigid attachment. The peephole i8 is preferably closed in by a glass or plastic window 2 1,, .and is kept clean on the side away from the user of the unit, by a series of rubber brushes 3B radially attached to the front of the disc I0 so they will wipe the glass 21 as the disc is rotated. The brushes 3! are preferably cemented to the disc and are preferably of the softer kinds of rubber.

In order to keep the disc balanced one or more weights 2:; are attached to the disc in suitable locations thereon.

The operation of the device is-simple. The user simply rotates the knob in a clockwise direction until the pawl l8 clicks in "a notch H in the disc and registers the frame selected with the peephole 16. He rotates the knob again when he wants to rotate it to another position. curiosity will ordinarily induce him to view all the advertisements on the disc. The unit keeps the peephole glass clean by the help of the brushes 30 which also serve to keep it steady and give it a desirable operational resistance Whenever it is desired to prevent further turning of the disc,

the owner of the device simply registers the :bolt between the pins 24 and pushes it down so as to .lockthe disc against turning.

While but one general form of the invention is shown in the drawings and described in the specifications, it is not desired tolim-it this application for patent to this particular formor in any other way otherwise than-limited by the scope thereof, as it is appreciated that other forms of construction could be made that would use the same principles and come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: a

1. In combination with a wall including a window therein, a display observing unit comprising in combination, a disc including a plurality of spaced positions and an opening therein, a support for the disc for rotating the disc adjacent the wall and aligning its spaced positions and opening in consecutive operation with said window whereby the user of the .unit can observe the areas of the disc opposite the window in any of the spaced positions in said window, means disposable in said window to permit the dispensing of information therefrom, .means for controlling the position of the disc during predetermined amounts of its rotative movement, means for locking the disc in predetermined posi- (5 window element supported by said member and tions, said support including a bearing and a shaft attached to the disc with a handle thereon for operating said shaft, from the side of the wall opposite to the location of the disc thereon, said first mentioned means including a ratchet engageable in notch means provided in conjunction therewith on the disc.

2. In combination with a wall including a window therein, a display observing unit comprising in combination, a disc including a plurality of spaced positions and an opening therein, a support for the disc for rotating the disc adjacent the wall and aligning its spaced positions and opening in consecutive operation with said window whereby the user of the unit can observe the areas of the disc opposite the window in any of the spaced positions in said window, means disposable in said window to permit the dispensing of .information therefrom, means for controlling the position of the disc during predetermined amounts of its rotative movement, means for locking the disc in predetermined positions, said support including a bearing and a shaft attached to the disc with a handle thereon for operating said shaft, from the side of the wall opposite to the location of the disc thereon, said first mentioned meansincluding a rachet engageable in notch means provided in conjunction therewith on the disc, said lockingmeans including a sliding bolt positioned on said disc for engaging with a predetermined portion of said disc to retain it in a predetermined position of rotation.

3. A peephole unit comprising in combination, a collar member attachable to a wall structure and including a bearing transversely therein, a shaft rotatable in the bearing, a handle on one end of the shaft for rotating it, a disc on the other end portion of said shaft and including an opening therein to permit observation therethrough and spaces for advertising markings, a window element supported by said member and alignable with a predetermined space in said structure during the rotation of said disc for consecutive alignment of the said spaces therewith, means for controlling the direction of rotation of said disc, and means for manually locking said disc against rotation. V

4. -A peephole unit comprising in combination, a collar member attachable to .a wall structure and including a bearing transversely therein, a shaft rotatable in the bearing, a handle on one end of the shaft forrotating it, a .disc on the other endportion of said shaft and including an opening therein to permit observation therethrough and spaces for advertising markings, a window element supported by said member and alignable with a predetermined space in said structure during the rotation of said disc for consecutive alignment of the said .spaces therewit means for controlling the direction of rotation of said disc; means for manually locking said disc against rotation, said window element including a frame with a transparent pane therein, its frame being arranged to fit within an opening provided therefor in said structure at the alignable space.

5. A peephole unit comprising in combination, a-collar member attachable to a wall structure and including a bearing transversely therein, a

shaft rotatable in the bearing, a handle on one endof the shaft for rotating it, a disc on the other endportion of said shaft and including an opening; therein to permit observation therethrough-and spaces for advertising markings, a

alignable with a predetermined space in said structure during the rotation of said disc for consecutive alignment of the said spaces therewith, means for controlling the direction of rotation of said disc, means for manually locking said disc against rotation, said window element including a frame with a transparent pane therein, its

frame being arranged to fit within an opening provided therefor in said structure at the alignable space, and brushes on the face of the disc, for cleaning the window surface as the disc is rotated.

6. A peephole unit comprising in combination, a collar member attachable to a wall structure and including a bearing transversely therein, a shaft rotatable in the bearing, a handle on one end of the shaft for rotating it, a disc on the other end portion of said shaft and including an opening therein to permit observation therethrough and spaces for advertising markings, a window element supported by said member and alignable with a predetermined space in said structure during the rotation of said disc for consecutive alignment of the said spaces therewith, means for controlling the direction of rotation of said disc, means for manually locking said disc against rotation, said window element including a frame with a transparent pane therein, its frame being arranged to fit within an opening provided therefor in said structure at the alignable space, brushes on the face of the disc for cleaning the window surface as the disc is rotated, and means for balancing the disc so any unbalancing in said disc due to variation in its weight throughout its structure can be compensated for as well as keep the disc notch in engagement with said first mentioned means.

HARRY LEE HOFFMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 534,740 Davis Feb. 26, 1895 748,346 Cargill Dec. 29, 1903 1,779,684 Van Slicklen Oct. 28, 1930 1,789,890 Agrell Jan. 20, 1931 2,029,209 Zak Jan. 28, 1936 

